"Paraumbical Hernia repair 5/6/15-Patient:Brian..."

I arrived at A&E around 12.50pm and explained my situation. After receiving my paperwork I was escorted to Triage to await a nurse. I did not have to wait long in Triage before being attended to. I was given a Morphine dose to ease the pain and whilst being attended to by a Doctor I was asked how I now felt. I told him there was no pain and I said it was probably down to the Morphine. He told me he had put my Hernia back in place. I looked down and saw no lump and the Hernia area felt soft, as it had before it had "popped out". I now thought that I would have to wait a week or so before I was called in to have the Hernia operated on. However, the Doctor said it was only a temporary fix and that there was a strong probability the Hernia would "pop-out" again and form as a Strangulated Hernia, which is very serious. He advised me that it was important to have it operated on and asked me if I would be prepared to stay in Hospital until a time was available to take me into theatre. I agreed to stay in Hospital. I was taken into a surgical admission ward at 16.54 and seen by a Doctor who advised me that it may be through the night or tomorrow morning before the operation could take place. This was a pleasant surprise to me as I thought I would have to wait longer. I was operated on at around 1.30 am on Friday 5/06/15 and, after short period of recovery from the Anaesthetic, I was returned to the surgical admission ward to rest. I received regular visits from nursing staff through the night, asking me if I required pain-killers and if I was comfortable. I was given Breakfast in the morning and noticed that the ward was cleaned at regular intervals. This was a reassuring sign, given the adverse publicity the NHS sometime receives through the media. I was visited by a consultant and the Surgeon who performed the operation and given a full and easily understood account of what had been done and what my own responsibilities were towards my recovery. I had the wound dressing replaced by a nurse and was given Mepilex dressings, two Boxes of Paracetemol Tablets and one box of Codeine Phosphate tablets with my discharge papers. The nurse also explained that the Codeine tablets can cause constipation and they were to be taken only if the Paracetemol did not work, as it is not recommended to force yourself to go whilst recovering from a Hernia operation. I was also given, in writing, a telephone number for the Treatment Room Booking Line and was discharged at around 13.30 hours after Lunch. I said my goodbyes and gave my thanks to a group of people who deserve more praise than I can ever give, not to mention more pay, but that is another story.